Cutter head having fluid supply means



March 19, 1968 E. M. ARENTZEN CUTTER HEAD HAVING FLUID SUPPLY MEANS Filed Feb. 21, 1966 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 his ATTORNEYS March 19, 1968 E. M. ARENTZEN 3,374,033

CUTTER HEAD HAVING FLUID SUPPLY MEANS Filed Feb. 21, 1966 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. EINAR M. ARENTZEN BY 0% M his ATTORNEYS United States Patent Office 3,374,033 CUTTER HEAD HAVING FLUID SUPPLY MEANS Einar M. Arentzen, Charleroi Borough, Washington County, Pa., assignor to Lee-Norse Company, Charleroi, Pa., a corporation of Delaware Filed Feb. 21, 1966, Ser. No. 528,726 2 Claims. (Cl. 299-81) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A cutter head for mining machines, which includes a plurality of spaced cutter bits peripherally carried by a rotatable cutter wheel. A plurality of iluid supply nozzles are alternately arranged with the cutter bits and con nected to a source of fluid, such as Water, through a valving arrangement whereby fluid is supplied through each of the nozzles only when the cutter bits thereadjacent are actually engaged in cutting.

This invention relates to mining machines of the type comprising a cutter head carrying one or more rotat- 1ng cutter wheels. It is especially applicable to mining machines of the type sometimes referred to as rippers due to a manner in which they break or tear away coal from the working face, such as for example, the machine cllisgllosed in my Patent No. 2,695,164, granted Nov. 23, As a large amount of dust is generated by the operation of a continuous mining machine engaged in the mining of coal, such a machine is frequently provided with spray nozzles which direct water against the working face of the coal continuously throughout the operation of the machine.

The explosive character of the dust, as Well as the health of the miners, in fact, normally makes this necessary. However, these are ineffective at the point where the actual cutting is taking place, which is also the point where sparks may be generated when the steel cutter bit strikes rock or some rock-like formation in the coal seam.

According to the present invention, provision is made for circulating water into the cutter wheels and discharging it from nozzles directly into the kerf where cutting is taking place, and against those bits which are engaged with the coal or other material being mined. Valving means is provided whereby water is discharged only from a limited arc of the rotating cutter wheel less than a full circle, and only in that part of the are where the cutters may be contacting the coal. This is preferably an arc ranging between about 90 and 130.

A principal object of my invention is therefore to provide in a mining machine means for spraying water in the immediate area or path of the cutters where cutting or ripping is taking place.

My invention may be more fully understood by reference to the accompanying drawings showing an embodiment of the invention, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation of the front end of a continuous mining machine with a cutter wheel thereon;

FIG. 2 is a transverse vertical section through the cutter wheel, the view being in substantially the plane of line II-II of FIG. 1, but showing in addition an extension for a second cutter wheel projecting from one face of the wheel shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a front elevation of the valve ring forming a part of the assembly shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a front elevation of an adjusting ring forming a part of the assembly shown in FIG. 2; and

FIG. 5 is a transverse vertical section through the ring shown in FIG. 4.

3,374,933 Patented Mar. 19, 1968 Referring to the drawings, and first more specifically to FIGS 1, 2 designates the cutter carrying arm of the mining machine, such, for example, as that disclosed in my said Patent No. 2,695,164, wherein the arm oscillates sideways on a boom structure 3 that may be moved up and down in a vertical arc. The outer end of the arm forms a housing 4 that provides a bearing for a rotating shaft 5 on which are cutter-carrying wheels 6. The housing also contains gearing (not shown) through which the shaft 5 is rotated, but this is not material to this invention.

Since the present invention involves the transfer of waer from a supply line on the arm 2 to nozzles on the periphery of the cutter wheels in such manner that water will discharge only in the area where the bits are cutting, the drawings disclose only one cutter head assembly comprising the bearings for the shaft and details of the construction significant to this invention.

Referring particularly to FIG. 2, one. end of the shaft 5 is shown. The housing 4, which is made in two parts, has a roller bearing assembly 7 therein through which the shaft 5 passes. This bearing assembly is contained within a separate sleeve member 8 which is nonrotatably fixed in the housing. It has a threaded outer end portion 8a and a part 8b that forms a grease seal about the shaft.

There is a hub member 9 keyed to the end of the shaft, the inner end of which is received in the sleeve 8, said inner end abutting against the roller bearing assembly 7. The cutter wheel 6 has bolts 10 passing therethrough by which it is secured to the hub 9.

The cutter wheel 6 has an annular channel or groove 11 therein immediately adjacent the hub member 9. On the periphery of the wheel there is a series of spaced cutter bit holders 12 with replaceable cutter bits 13 therein. Twelve such holders are on the wheel 6 shown in the drawing. A port 14 leads from the face or the groove 11 axially into the wheel at intervals around the wheel, the number of such ports corresponding to the number of bit holders 12. Each of these ports communicates with a radial passage 15 that terminates at a nozzle 16 in the periphery of the wheel, one nozzle being located in advance of each bit holder 12.

There is a fixed annulus or sealing ring 17 in the groove 11 having openings therethrough registering with the ports 14, and this annulus has rubber or like resilient packing 17a on one surface that bears against the face of the channel 11. It is keyed to the wheel for rotation with the wheel by pins 18 that extend from the wheel through openings in the sealing ring.

There is a second annulus 20, wich I term a valve ring, in the annular channel and bearing against the sealing ring 17. As best seen in FIG. 3, the face of this ring which confronts the sealing ring 17 has an arcuatelyextending groove 21, here shown as being of about extent therein, but which may be longer, even to about This valve ring has several, preferably four, studs 22 and 2-3 passing therethrough and extending axially from the valve ring toward the housing 4. Two of these studs 22 are so positioned that one of them is at each end of the arcuate groove 21. These two studs are hollow and the ends remote from the valve ring are interiorly threaded, as indicated at 22a. The studs 23 may be solid.

An adjusting ring or nut 25 is screwed onto the threaded end 8a of the sleeve 8. It has a lip portion 26 that encircles the valve ring 20. This adjusting ring is shown in detail in FIGS. 4 and 5. In the particular construction here shown, where the cutter wheel has twelve cutter holders, this ring has twelve equally-spaced radial cavities 27 in its periphery, and there is an opening 28 leading axially from the interior ofeach cavity to that face of the adjusting nut or ring that confronts the valve ring 3 20. The four studs 22 and 23 on the valve ring 29 pass through these openings 28. By reason of these studs, the valve ring is keyed to the adjusting ring and held against rotation with the cutter wheel 6. There may be a fiber or other washer 29 and a wear ring 30 interposed between the valve ring 20 and the adjusting ring 25.

In assembling the construction, the adjusting ring is screwed onto the sleeve 8 before the wheel 6 is attached to the hub by bolts 10. The valve ring is applied at the same time and the adjusting nut is set to the desired position with the arcuate passage 21 in the valve ring turned to the position required to supply water to the nozzles 16 in a predetermined arc of their travel. When the adjusting ring and valve ring are in the required location, a pipe connection 31 on the head 4 will be forced into one of the cavities 27 into which one of the hollow studs 22 protrudes. Actually only one of the studs 2-2 need be hollow, but to facilitate manufacture for right and left-hand cutters, two hollow studs are employed and a plug (not shown) is screwed into the threaded end 22a of the one not needed. When the wheel 6 is then applied and the bolts are taken up, the valve ring will be confined in sliding contact with the ported ring 17.

Water under pressure is supplied to the connector 31 through water supply tube 32 and passage 33 from tube 34.

From this arrangement, it may be seen that as the shaft 5 rotates, rotating the cutter wheel 6, the passages 14 with the ported ring 17 will move relative to the valve ring 2t), and as each passage in turn moves along the arcuate channel 21 in ring 20, water supplied to this channel through connector 31, cavity 27, and hollow stud 22 will flow into the passage 14 during the entire time that it moves along this arc. After each pasage 14 moves in turn beyond the arcuate channel 21, further water supply thereto will be cut off. If the arcuate channel 21 is not in the desired position, the connector 31, which has a force fit with an O-ring, is removed and the adjusting ring is turned the desired increment. If wear develops causing excessive leakage, the adjusting ring may be turned to take up wear, but in this case the valve ring must be removed and relocated on the adjusting ring. The adjustably fixed adjusting ring in conjunction with the wheel and its channel 11 forms a substantially water-tight enclosure for the valve ring.

If the cutter wheel as viewed in FIG. 1 is turning in a clockwise direction, a given cutter will be cutting into the coal or other material in the arc between the twelveoclock and three o-clock positions, and after passing the three oclock position it will be receding, so that ordinarily the groove 21 will extend only through about 90 of arc, but it may be longer, even up to 180, if desired.

With the arrangement herein provided, water is discharged just where the cutting is taking place, and where dust is being generated, but is not thrown indiscriminately in all directions. Not only is dust of the cutting face reduced, but there is added safety by reducing the danger of explosion from sparks generated by the cutter bits.

Frequently there are dual cutters in which a second wheel having a hollow hub is bolted onto the face of a first wheel. In FIG. 2 a portion of such a hub is shown. In this figure, 40 designates a hollow tubular hub structure with a part 41 fitted to the wheel 6 and held in place by bolts 42. In this case a branch passage a in each radial passage 15 connects with a duct 43 in the hub 40 so that the one valve arrangement can control the flow of water to two cutter wheels in side-by-side relation, the second cutter wheel not being here shown.

While I have shown and specifically described one preferred embodiment of my invention, it will be understood that this is illustrative, and that various changes and modifications may be made in the construction within the contemplation of my invention.

I claim:

1. In a mining machine having a supporting head structure and a power-driven cutter wheel which carries spaced 4 cutting bits at its periphery and is rotatably mounted on said supporting head structure, the combination comprisa water supply connection on said supporting head structure;

a plurality of spray nozzles spaced around said cutter wheel adjacent the cutting bits;

ducts on said cutter Wheel for supplying water to said nozzles;

valving means for supplying water from said supply connection to only those ducts less than the entire number then moving with the rotation of said cutter wheel through a predetermined arc less than the full circle of rotation of said cutter wheel, said valving means including a valve ring having an arcuate channel therein;

means for holding said valve ring against rotation with said cutter wheel and with said arcuate channel in a predetermined position;

means providing a passage from said water supply connection to said arcuate channel;

each of said ducts on said cutter wheel terminating in a port which is closed by said valve ring during a portion of the rotation of said cutter wheel and is opened to receive Water from said channel when it moves along the said channel; and

an adjusting ring connected to a fixed part of said supporting head structure and forming with said cutter wheel a sealed enclosure for said valve ring, said valve ring being connected to said adjusting ring and adjustably fixed thereon whereby its position on said adjusting ring may be changed when the latter is rotated.

2. In a mining machine having a supporting head structure including a fixed sleeve receiving a shaft, a hub member keyed to the shaft, and a power-driven wheel rotatably mounted on the supporting head structure and connected to said hub member, said cutter wheel having spaced cutting bits at its periphery and said sleeve being externally threaded adjacent said cutter wheel, the combination comprising:

a water supply connection on said supporting head structure;

a plurality of spray nozzles spaced around said cutter wheel adjacent the cutting bits;

ducts on said cutter wheel for supplying water to said nozzles;

valving means for supplying water from said supply connection to only those ducts less than the entire number then moving with the rotation of said cutter wheel through a predetermined arc less than the full circle of rotation of said cutter wheel, said valving meians including a valve ring having an arcuate channe an adjusting ring threaded on said sleeve, said adjusting ring and a portion of said cutter wheel around said hub forming an enclosure in which said valve ring is adjustably fixed against rotation with said cutter wheel;

means defining a passageway for water from said supply connection to said arcuate channel in said valve ring; and

saidducts on said cutter wheel terminating in ports in sliding contact with said Valve ring whereby, during the rotation of said cutter wheel, said ports are sealed by said valve ring except during their movement along said arcuate channel.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,473,498 11/1923 Morgan 29989 X 2,729,504 1/1956 Zukas 23997 3,104,818 9/1963 Ballard et al 239-97 ERNEST R. PURSER, Primary Examiner. 

